From the woman who brought you "Must Love Dogs"

Summer Blowout by Claire Cook

(description from Amazon.com) Bella Shaughnessy is addicted to lipstick with names like My Chihuahua Bites and Kiss My Lips, an occupational hazard, since she works as a stylist and makeup artist for her family's small chain of beauty salons in Marshbury, Massachusetts, along with her four half-brothers and -sisters. The owner is her father, Lucky Shaughnessy, a gregarious, three-times-divorced charmer with Donald Trump hair, who is obsessed with all things Italian and still carries a torch for his first wife, Bella's mother. After Bella's own marriage flames out spectacularly when her half-sister runs off with her husband, Bella decides she has seen enough of the damage love can do. She makes a vow: no more men.

Then Bella meets a cute entrepreneur at a college fair, and despite their bickering, they can't seem to stay away from each other. He also gives her a brilliant business idea, one that just might allow her to share her makeup expertise with the world. A small, well-tressed dog finds her way into her life, and her heart, and she decides to chance that, too. When the whole clan heads to Atlanta for a big Southern wedding, sparks fly--in a summer blowout no one will ever forget.

I have to start by saying that I absolutely loved "Must Love Dogs". I had read the book and seen the movie and I loved both. So, naturally, I was very excited to start reading Claire Cook's "Summer Blowout". The characters in this book were absolutely amazing! I could form a vivid picture of the whole Irish (Italian) Shaughnessy clan right down to the many salons and customers that they had.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the dog, Precious. Cook described her so well that I started wishing for my own pocketbook pooch. Later in the book, Precious gets a new name, and I was astounded. To me, the dog would always be Precious.

Also precious, was Sean Ryan. (first name Sean, last name Ryan) Bella was introduced to him as Sean Ryan and throughout the book, was not able to separate the name into two. I loved this man right from the beginning and I could tell he was going to be a great guy! They had a bickering at the beginning that had such chemistry that I was rooting for both of them to come together.

There was so much about this book to love, that I can go on and on. The family dynamics of Bella's husband sleeping with her half-sister, the wonderful and vivid descriptions of the makeup and the job that a makeup artist does, the father's love of his women and never getting over his first wife. There is just so much entertainment wrapped up into this one book. I am definitely becoming a fan of Claire Cook and look forward to reading all of her work. I even hope that this book will be turned into a movie too, because I loved how the first one turned out.

As my summer reading continues, this is one summer blowout that I will never forget.

A++++